DOSE

Shara Tochia and Hettie Holmes are the tech-savvy, fitness-loving duo behind DOSE – a new online health and wellbeing platform educating us on everything from mental health to fitness studios, new workout classes to where to eat… We catch up with them both to get the low-down.

Can you introduce us to DOSE – what makes you special?

DOSE is an online publication for urban healthy hedonists, living a fast-paced lifestyle, looking to find balance. We advocate exercise not for aesthetic results but for what it does to our heads. We don’t believe in deprivation and denial, (it only makes us want to rebel), so food and drink are a key part of our offering though we’re conscious to highlight the healthier options on the menu.

Dopamine, Oxytocin, Serotonin and Endorphin = acronym for DOSE

At the core of DOSE is our belief in the power of movement in making us feel good. We have all experienced moments of chemical imbalance that have left us feeling stressed, anxious and not ourselves – we see exercise as a powerful tool in restoring balance and improving mood. We, like many others, have used it to change patterns of negative behaviour and have admitted to feeling elated by it.

This led us to study the feel good hormones already contained within us (Dopamine, Oxytocin, Serotonin and Endorphin = acronym for DOSE) and understanding ways of tapping into them naturally. We are no scientists but our online publication gives us the platform to interview some wonderful, inspiring minds to help validate our belief in the importance of exercise in improving brain health.

What gap did you spot in the market that led you to creating DOSE?

We were both working in start-ups for the wellness and fitness sectors at the start of the explosion on Londons lifestyle scene (Shara launched Fitness Freak and 1Rebel while Hettie was working with Spa Junkie, that became FaceGym) – both using exercise as a way of coping with periods of stress. We became frustrated at the lack of guidance on where to eat and drink around working out.

We wanted to use the website as a platform to talk about mental health through exercise and interview inspiring minds from doctors to fitness trainers.

There were businesses aggregating where to find fitness, bars and restaurants but nothing that brought these altogether, catering to the healthy hedonist in pursuit of balance. On a deeper level we wanted to use the website as a platform to talk about mental health through exercise and interview inspiring minds from doctors to fitness trainers to help validate our belief in the importance of exercise in improving brain health – this is the inspiration behind DOSE Talks.

What does ‘DOSE’ stand for and why did you choose this name?

DOSE is an acronym for feel good hormones Dopamine, Oxytocin, Serotonin and Endorphin – neurotransmitters that affect our positivity and wellbeing. They are our inspiration behind the publication which is ultimately about helping people try and tap into happiness however they can. We find it through a combination of exercise, socialising with friends and eating well with the occasional tipple.

Your goal is to become the leading publication for integrating exercise with eating well & mindful drinking to promote happiness and balance. How do you hope to go about doing this?

We are building a strong community through a weekly newsletter designed to inspire and empower readers with ideas for living a balanced lifestyle with real, inspiring interviews on topics from leaving your job to a career in wellness and starting again to living with depression. We want to be the platform that draws a correlation between exercise and mental health. We can’t think of a more empowering vehicle than fitness to enable his change.

You’ve got your finger on the pulse. What exciting things do you see happening next in the health, wellbeing and fitness industries? What should we keep an eye out for?